Vacuum cleaner recommendation?

[Paul_B]

Every Dyson we've had has been unreliable. Our Miele has been reliable but is too powerful for some carpets. I do think they are the better brand for quality. The bagged ones are better I think too.

BTW if you're paying full price for Miele bags you're making a mistake. There will be places to get them cheaper. Near me there's a market stall where you can get 6 Miele branded bags for the price of one bag from conventional sources. That makes them cheap enough to run.

Another opinion I have is that Henry vacuums are very underpowered and overrated.

 

[Pattree]

In my opinion Dyson is a very clever marketeer who solved a problem that we hadn’t got.
It’s true that the first intake of dust reduces the effectiveness of a machine with a paper bag collector - but you need a dynamometer to notice it. It’s pretty full by the time the user notices a reduced suction.

His genius was firstly to make the dust collector jug transparent and put a ”full” marker on it.
He made the jug relatively small and then stuck his impressive looking vortex mechanism inside it so that it’s capacity was further reduced.
He made the jug easy to remove.

In other words he engineered US to empty the thing much more frequently thus making his machine appear more effective.

It’s a perfectly good vacuum cleaner sold cleverly.

 

[Toddy]

I can truthfully say that all of my Dysons have been utterly rock solid reliable.
We only bought more than one so that I didn't need to lug the heavy one upstairs when RA flared.
Then later I wanted one with the wand and the powered head, so we bought that and used the original near twenty year old one as the shop vac.

I just use them, empty them and put them back in the charger. I do wash the filters regularly though and I clean off the brusher bars too.

I do think they're expensive though, and not really justifiable when they're made in a 3rd world factory at 3rd world prices.

 

[Stew]

Henry hoovers are very much favoured commercially. Schools in particular love them and I can guarantee that they would make it clear if the machines are rubbish….

 

[grainweevil]

I've always thought of Henry's as the army issue of vacuum cleaners. They're built to last in the hands of people who don't have to buy a replacement if they break it. But there are better, lighter options if all you want to do is vacuum your house rather than throw it down a flight of stairs or tow it by its hose all day, every day.

My folks were put off Dysons by the alarming number of them that always seemed to be seen at the local tip. But, in fairness, that was a fair few years ago. I'm put off by James Dyson's failure to put his money where his mouth is.

The old man is absolutely wedded to Gtech and has bought several AirRAMs over the years. Not because they broke, but because he's apparently mistaken them for Pokemon. As such, that's what I use. I like the cordlessness, and as long as you keep on top of cleaning the filter the suction on them is pretty good. Their customer service has always been very helpful too, with quick delivery of required spares. I think they're overpriced myself, but they're okay.

 

[spader]

For goodness sake! Now I’m googling Sebo vacs. I’ll be reading lightbulb reviews on Amazon next

From the price of tools for sale in Aldi and Lidle, I would have thought German made tools must be cheaper. How come Sebo vacuums are more expensive than most other vacuums?

 

[Pattree]

I need two vacuum cleaners. One of them is a tiny Dust Devil from somewhere around the eighties. I use both my cleaners to clean the sponge and fabric filters of the other. It’s the cleanest and simplest way of doing it.
Our long gone Dyson instructions were to wash the filter. It’s not a good idea if you have been using cement or plaster!!!!

DAMHIK.

 

[spader]

I need two vacuum cleaners. One of them is a tiny Dust Devil from somewhere around the eighties. I use both my cleaners to clean the sponge and fabric filters of the other. It’s the cleanest and simplest way of doing it.
Our long gone Dyson instructions were to wash the filter. It’s not a good idea if you have been using cement or plaster!!!!

DAMHIK.

For cement, concrete or plaster, you need a shopvac like this. Never use indoor / carpet cleaning vacs for outdoors or construction cleaning, or it will break or block the vac like Dysons.

 

[Tengu]

I favour my Kirby. Bombproof.

 

[Billy-o]

Got a Miele for dog fur - very good. Had it yonks

 

[demographic]

Sebo X7 would never go back to any other; German reliability, all parts are available.

Si

Aye, that's the badger.
Seen recently they're available secondhand for reasonable money.
We have one we paid full new price for and likely next payday I'll get a secondhand one for downstairs.
Spares are easy to get and fit.

If ai remember right ours was about ￡180 quite a few years ago but my wife struggles to carry the existing one up and downstairs so we'll just get another.

 

[ranger85]

Can't beat a Henry for ease and hard wearing, battery ones aren't up to much mind....Kirby Hoover's are fantastic, very expensive new but can sometimes pick them up cheap local on eBay, proper old school and will suck the carpet off your floor If you give it half the chance! I got mine for a steal with all the carpet cleaning bits too

 

[Paul_B]

Dyson was a marketeer not an engineer. Or at least his greatest talent was marketing. It was genius to apply for patents on the tech and market it as patent pending despite knowing full well it would never get a full patent. However that have enough time for him to gain market share and become the main bagless vacuum brand. He then added more patent pendings. They all delayed other brands from getting their bagless vacuums out.

The actual technology iirc is Victorian! It's an industrial and mining tech from way back. I've read about the tech in books dating from 1920s and it wasn't new.

 

[HillBill]

It’s amazing me that a forum of sooty, smelly, sawdust strewn outdoors people who don’t mind leaves in our hair and beards, know so much intricate detail of vacuum cleaner brands

Because we don't really care. But our better halves do and insist on spending the time to educate us on how to remove said litter from the carpet.

Shark corded upright here. Much better than the Dysons we've had, quieter too, anti hair wrap thingys... Important with half a dozen pets, and a partner who sheds 2ft long hair more than all the furry buggers combined.... and it has headlights lol. Which surprisingly, arent just a gimmick. They really do highlight stuff.